To Say I Love You
by Strawberry Shortcake123
Summary: After Max is seriously injured in battle, Dr. Martinez experiences Fang at his worst and realizes he has something he needs to say to her daughter. How will Max react? Twoshot. Fax.
1. Chapter 1

**This just popped into my head, and I considered using just a part of it for a drabble, but… nope. Here it is. Just a random thing. After MAX!**

**Oh, and I haven't forgotten about Sick Days. It won't be too much longer, I'm just still thinking about it.**

**One more thing: I've been to a hospital only once in my life, I think, and that was to visit somebody. So if I don't have the hospital lingo stuff right, please forgive me!**

**Disclaimer: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson and not me.**

I drove quickly along the highway, keeping my eyes on the ambulance in front of us so as not to lose track of it. Ella was in the passenger seat beside me, twisted around so she could talk to the four flock members squeezed into the back. They were all scared and in hysterics, after watching Max get brutally injured in a fight with an M-Geek. Even I was having a hard time staying calm as I worried about what was going on in that ambulance. My only comfort came in knowing that Fang was with her.

"Are we almost there?" Ella asked, spinning around to look at me.

I craned my neck and spotted a sign. "Just a minute."

"Is Max gonna be okay?" Nudge wailed. "She _has_ to be okay! What'll we do if she's not? We can't--"

"Nudge," I sighed, turning right into the hospital parking lot. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Okay," she sniffled.

I hurriedly parked in a spot right by the emergency entrance. The six of us piled out of the car as Max was wheeled out of the ambulance on a gurney, Fang right behind her. I caught up to him, motioning for the kids to hurry up, and we ran into the building.

Once inside, Max was immediately taken through swinging double doors. One of the paramedics stayed behind and grabbed Fang's arm as he made a move to follow them. "Son, you can't go in there."

"Why not?" he demanded, trying to twist out of the man's grasp.

"If she's going to be okay, she'll have to undergo major surgery," the paramedic said. "Nobody is allowed to be in there when this kind of stuff is done. We're talking _major_ here."

"I'm not leaving her!" Fang snapped, ripping his arm away and storming toward the doors. Somehow, Iggy knew to run forward and practically tackle him, wrestling him into one of the many chairs in the waiting room.

"Dude," he said. "Calm down. They're gonna fix her up."

"Iggy, she's alone with a bunch of _doctors_! How does this not make you nervous?"

"It's the only way to save her, Fang."

At those words, with the flock and Ella and I just standing there awkwardly, Fang buried his face in his hands and _sobbed_, huge ones that shook his shoulders. The younger kids turned to me, genuinely scared at this scene, but I didn't know what to do. I'd never seen him like this, either.

"I never told her," he said, his voice breaking. "I never said it to her face."

My eyebrows shot up into my hairline, and I slanted my gaze down at Angel standing beside me with a frown on her face.

"Angel?" I whispered. She looked up at me with sad blue eyes. "What does he need to tell Max?"

Angel bit her lip and stood up on her tiptoes. I leaned over so she could reach easier. "He has to say 'I love you,'" she barely breathed into my ear.

I tried not to show any expression on my face as I straightened up, everything clicking all at once. The look on Fang's face when Max said all those things on Valium. The way he'd lunged across the room to protect her when the pizza exploded. How he'd held her as she cried, right after she'd rescued me.

Fang _did_ love her. I should have known. _She_ should have known.

I looked back over at him. His face was in his hands, but he was no longer shaking. Nudge was hovering near him, rubbing his shoulder.

As I watched, his back moved as he took in a big, shuddering breath and whispered one word, just loud enough for me to hear. "Max…"

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I walked down the hallway with a cup of steaming hot coffee in my hand. Ella and most of the flock were still in the hospital's cafeteria, eating breakfast, and I was going to try and convince Fang to join them.

When I reached Max's room, I pushed the door open with my hip and smiled at the familiar scene before me: Fang in a chair beside the bed, Max's hand securely in his. He had lived in this room for the past week, the whole time she'd been staying here, even though she hadn't woken up yet. There was a bathroom in the corner of the room, which he used occasionally, but otherwise, he was glued to that chair.

"Fang," I called softly. He turned around, nodded at me, and returned his gaze to Max's face. Inwardly sighing, I moved forward. "Fang, I know you're nervous about leaving her alone, but I'm here. I won't let anybody hurt her. Now, you go eat."

"I'm fine."

"All you've been eating is what we bring you, and those are just normal human meals."

Fang shrugged.

"Fang." Now I put on my firm mother voice. "If Max was awake, she would want you to be feeding yourself, so that's what you're going to do. If she wakes up, I'll let you know. But I want you in that cafeteria _now_."

He took a long look at me, then stood up slowly. I watched him smooth the hair off of Max's face and press his lips to her forehead. Then he turned and walked past me, nodding once again, and left the door open behind him-- I supposed so he could come back in and see Max as quickly as possible.

I sat down in the plastic chair and took Max's hand myself. It was warm on the palm, where Fang had been holding it. Glancing to the right, I chuckled at the indentation in the mattress where he'd rested his head at an awkward angle each night as he slept.

"Mom…?"

I looked up towards Max to see her blinking sleepily as she tried to sit herself up. Her elbows gave out beneath her, though, and she fell back onto the pillows.

"Hi, Max," I laughed, moving to prop up the pillows and help her sit back on them. "How are you feeling, sweetie?"

"Fine," she said. Then, with a hint of worry in her voice, "Where is everybody?"

"They're eating, down in the cafeteria." Max's face relaxed. I bit my lip.

_I never told her. I never said it to her face._

"Max, I have to tell you something. It's… about Fang."

"What?" The creases came back into her forehead. "What about him?"

"He's fine," I said quickly. "It's just… you were in surgery for twelve hours, Max. For a while there, it was doubtful you were going to survive. They wouldn't let Fang in the ER, and he had to be restrained."

Max rolled her eyes. "He's so freaking _protective_!"

"He's so freaking in _love_, sweetie."

"Huh?"

I could tell I'd taken her by surprise, and I reached up to stroke her hair. "I can't tell you for him, but I can say this. Fang _cried_. And not just a tear or two. He was shaking."

She stared at me. "Fang doesn't cry."

"He does for you."

Max looked away, embarrassed. I pressed on. "I had to force him to go eat with the others. Fang hasn't left your side the entire week you've been out, sweetie. He's been in this chair, holding your hand. Listen to him. Let him say what he needs to say. Okay?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but then her eyes shifted so they were looking over my head. I spun in the chair and saw Fang standing in the doorway, holding her gaze.

"Max," he said, half-jogging across the room, past me, and finally coming to sit on the edge of her bed. He gathered Max up in his arms, clutching her to his chest and burying his face in her hair.

I rose from my seat and walked toward the door, giving them a moment alone. Right before I left, I glanced back at the two of them, holding each other and rocking slightly.

As I quietly pulled the door shut behind me, I smiled, knowing that something would be very different the next time I entered that room.

**I liked writing this. I like Fax from other character's points of view. Well, any kind of Fax, because I'm just obsessed like that. But you get my point.**

**Fang… OOC?**

**Please let me know what you thin! Leave me a review! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright. Here's how this is going down. Because of several requests, this is no longer a oneshot. I am extending it to a twoshot, but no more, because I don't know what I would do with this beyond that. This chapter is in Fang's point of view.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

People were moving and talking loudly around me, frantically tending to Max, but all I could see was her face. It was drained white, blood sprayed across it, her hair tangled and dirty. It was awful, seeing her like this, but I couldn't look away.

"Come on, Max," I muttered, rubbing the back of her palm with my thumb. "Come on. Fight this."

I kept waiting for her eyes to snap open, for her to say something sarcastic and tell the paramedics to get the hell away from her, she's fine. But that never happened. Max just kept laying there, her pulse faint, looking all but dead.

The ambulance screeched to a stop, and Max's hand was ripped from mine as the paramedics charged forward to lift her onto a gurney. As they wheeled her out, I pushed my way through the crowd to follow them into the hospital. They took her through some double doors, but before I could follow, one of the paramedics took my arm. "Son, you can't go in there."

"Why not?" I asked, trying to get past him. His grip on my arm tightened.

"If she's going to be okay, she'll have to undergo major surgery," he said. "Nobody is allowed to be in there when this kind of stuff is done. We're talking _major_ here."

That wasn't a good reason for me to break my promise. "I'm not leaving her!" I said, finally breaking away from the man and moving toward the doors they'd taken Max through. I hadn't noticed before, but apparently Dr. Martinez and the flock had arrived, because Iggy came from nowhere and grabbed me. I fought him, but he somehow got the better of me and sat me down in a chair.

"Dude. Calm down. They're gonna fix her up."

"Iggy, she's alone with a bunch of _doctors_!" I snapped. "How does this not make you nervous?"

"It's the only way to save her, Fang."

That was when I lost it. All I could see was her face, pale and bloody and lifeless, as they wheeled her into that room. That image may have been the last one I'd have of her alive. The thought of never seeing her again, and knowing that she might die without hearing me say the three most important words out loud, became too much. There was an unfamiliar stinging feeling behind my eyes, and then wetness trailing down my face. I propped my elbows on my knees, held my head in my hands, and let the tears come.

"I never told her," I muttered. "I never said it to her face."

I heard Dr. Martinez and Angel whispering about something, but I couldn't focus on that. All I could see was Max, going into the ER alone, not knowing that to at least one person, she is the world. If only I hadn't been such a coward, so scared to actually _say_ it…

I started to compose myself, and Nudge came over to rub my shoulder. She was a sweet kid, and Max had raised her. Max had been her mother figure. What if Max didn't make it, and I was in charge of Nudge and the others? I couldn't do it. Not like she did. Not _nearly_ as well as she did.

_I promised you I wouldn't leave again_, I thought. _So you don't leave me. Please… _and I finished my sentence out loud in a choked voice. "Max."

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After about twelve hours that felt like twelve years, interrupted only by someone coming to draw my blood to replace what Max had lost, the doctor who had restrained me earlier came out of the ER. I jumped to my feet first and met him halfway. He nodded at me and waited for the flock, Dr. Martinez, and Ella to join us.

"How is she?" asked Dr. Martinez anxiously.

"Fine," the doctor said. "The surgery went very well. We were concerned about her, um, situation, and how that would affect it, but it didn't seem to matter. Don't be surprised if it's several days or even weeks before she wakes up, though. These procedures are very taxing."

"So she's gonna make it," I confirmed.

"Yes." The doctor smiled knowingly at me. "She's in room 317 if you would like to see her."

I could hear Dr. Martinez thanking him, and the flock talking excitedly, but I was already hurrying down the hallway, my head turned so I could read the room numbers. _315... 316... there._

I took a deep breath, preparing myself for what I might see. Then I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Max was asleep in the bed, wearing a hospital gown. She had a small, peaceful smile on her face, her chest rising and falling slowly. Aside from the machines surrounding her, she looked perfectly normal. Maybe a little more frail, a little less Max the Invincible, but overall she was the girl I knew and loved.

I crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed, smoothing a strand of hair off her face and then gently cupping her cheek. She subconsciously leaned into my hand, and I gave one of my famous half-smiles.

I moved my hand down to hers, wrapping it in mine and rubbing her knuckles softly. And she may have been unconscious, but it still required a gathering of courage and a big breath to whisper, "I love you."

0000000000

"I'm going back," I said, pushing back my chair and standing up.

"Dude," Iggy said, looking in my general direction. "You only got here like ten minutes ago. And you haven't eaten much in forever. You can't be done yet."

I shrugged, already moving around the table, toward the exit of the hospital cafeteria. "I'm gonna go check on Max. See you later, guys."

"Bye, Fang," called Nudge and Angel. As I left the room, I heard Gazzy say, perfectly innocently, "Gosh, it seems like Fang is stalking Max."

I hurried down the hallway to Max's room. As I pushed the door open, I heard her mom talking, and I furrowed my brow, wondering who she was on the phone with.

"…say what he needs to say. Okay?"

The door was open fully now, and as I stood in the doorway, I saw who Dr. Martinez was talking to. It was Max, sitting up in bed, her streaked hair falling across her face. She looked tired and drained, but beautiful all the same.

She opened her mouth to say something to her mom, but then she saw me and stopped. We stared into each other's eyes from across the room. Dr. Martinez turned in her chair to look at me and smiled a bit.

I crossed the room quickly, plopped down on the edge of the bed and hugged Max to me. I put my face in her soft hair and only held her tighter when I felt her own arms come around me.

The fact that she was here, in my arms, awake and healed, meant more to me than anything else ever had. Sitting in that waiting room, wondering if I'd ever see her smile or hear her laugh again, was the worst experience of my life-- and I would know a thing or two about bad experiences.

"Max," I murmured in her ear. "Max…"

"Fang," she whispered back, obviously mocking me. I had to chuckle. "Fang…"

I pulled away a little so I could look into her face. Our arms were still tight around each other. "How're you feeling?"

"Fine," Max said. "I'm thinking just a couple days."

"Think the doctors will agree with that?"

She made a face. "No. But what do I care?"

I laughed for the second time in less than a minute and hugged her again. I should have known she wouldn't go down without a fight, but seeing her alive made me realize just how scared and doubtful I'd really been this whole week.

And now that she was conscious and well, it was time to tell her.

"Max." I pulled back to look her in the face. Her chocolate brown eyes were watching me carefully. "Max," I sighed, lifting one hand to run the back of it along her cheek. As her eyes fluttered shut, she took in a deep breath and held it as I continued to trace every part of her face. When I was done, sliding my fingers off the end of her chin, I whispered, "You really scared me."

Max looked at me. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault." I kept my arms locked around her waist and moved my forehead down to rest on hers. "Max…" Oh, man, I was really about to do it. My heart threatened to burst through my ribcage. "Max, I love you."

She blinked.

_Is that good? _My mind was racing. _She blinked, she blinked, does that mean she's happy or weirded out?_

In the next instant, Max's lips were on mine in a firm, yet soft and sweet kiss. I put my hand on the back of her head to keep them there.

Oh, yeah. She was happy.

Definitely happy.

**Ta-da! This took a little longer to get up than I had originally thought, but I think I like how it turned out! This story won't be longer than a two-shot, so I'm sorry if you wanted more. But I have plenty of other Fax stuff up you can read! **

**Thanks for reading! Reviews would be GREAT. : )**


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